One Last Good-Bye
by Ren Kayashima
Summary: While Prentiss is taking a break as she packs up for London, an unexpected guest may just change things up. Friendship One-Shot


Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

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June 15, 2012

Emily sat on her couch, clutching Sergio close as she considered what she was about to do. She had already said yes, she knew that it was the right choice. She hadn't felt right since her return to her BAU. There was something missing. She loved her family at the BAU, but she just lost her ability to do her job to the best of her power. She had been left to think about a lot of things when she was hiding from Doyle. She had come to the conclusion that it was time to start a new point in her life's story.

A knock on her door cause her to hug Sergio closer. She eyed the front of her home suspiciously. Standing up, Emily clutched Sergio a little tighter as she moved to the door. She looked through the peephole only to back up in confusion.

She opened the door, holding Sergio with one arm. She smiled genially. "Reid, what are you doing here?"

Spencer stood before Emily holding a bag of Chinese take-out. He looked slightly flustered, just standing there in the empty hall, as if he shouldn't have come at all. "Well, you're packing up for London. I thought you might need some food."

"That's so nice, Reid." Prentiss' grin grew. She moved to let Spencer in. "I was just taking a break actually."

Reid stepped into the house. There was a lot of boxes, some half open, others taped shut. "How is that going?" he asked cautiously.

Prentiss bent over to put Sergio on the ground. She blew out a sigh as she pulled her hair back. "I never realized how much stuff I had," she said. "I'll buy something, drop it in the closet, and forget that it's there."

She moved to the kitchen and opened her cupboard. She let out a groan, realizing she had packed those away after lunch. "Hold on. Let me just remember which box my plates are in."

Reid held up the take-out. "I have some paper ones at the bottom," he said with a shrug.

Prentiss laughed. "You think of everything, Reid." She leaned against the counter as she crossed her ankles. Somehow having Reid there she felt a little bit lighter.

"If I could do that, I could have come up with a way to have you stay here," Reid said somberly.

Prentiss felt her heard wrench. "Reid, I just… It's not a right fit anymore," she spoke quietly, looking the slightest bit smaller, more closed off. "I've been searching for my place here, and I just can't find it." She had to be truthful to him. He was much too close as a friend.

Reid nodded in understanding. He had been there when Emily had told the team that she would be taking a position in London to head the Interpol office there. It was like losing JJ all over again, except Emily was going to cross an ocean. At least JJ was still in the D.C. Area.

Prentiss fidgeted slightly before she acted on impulse. She pulled Reid into an awkward hug. The genius still held the take out creating a partial barrier between the two. "I'm going to miss you the most," she whispered.

Reid backed up, more to save their food than to distance himself. "You are?" he asked.

Prentiss smiled as she nodded. "You're a special guy, Spencer Reid," she stated. "So much knowledge for you to draw on; it makes things interesting."

Spencer smiled sheepishly. "Are you excited for the change?" he asked. After all, she was being made the head of a group of Interpol agents from all walks of life. That didn't always happen.

"Terrified actually," Emily admitted, picking at her nails. "I've never really been the head of anything."

"You'll do fine," Spencer said optimistically. He dropped the food on the counter carefully so he could open the bag. He really wanted the best for Emily, and this was it. He could see how excited she was to get the job, but he would also see the underlying trepidation that came with a new place.

Emily pushed herself off the counter and turned around so that she could rest her elbows on the counter. "Thank you for coming," Emily said, moving to help set up the cartons. "Sergio and I were getting lonely."

Spencer only grinned back as he handed her a paper place. He had done this more for himself. He needed to say good-bye this time. At least this time wasn't permanent.

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Author's Note: This is the last one-shot I'll be doing for a while. I have some things that need to get done over the next couple of months. I have applications, I have school work, and I have multi-chapter stories to write.

**Quick Note: The nomination process for the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are going on until the fifteenth of October. This is an awards show to honor your favorite Criminal Minds fanfics and the authors who write them. You can find the nomination ballot on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum here on the site. Check it out! Show your favorite stories some love by nominating them for one of the 50 awards available.**

Ren


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